Somewhere Out of the Blue
by Distorted Pheonix
Summary: At graduation, Death Eaters attack. When Ron is left with only himself, how does he go on? And what happens when a familiar face comes back to haunt him a decade later?
1. Ruined Graduation

The young man stood alone in a multitude of hundreds, isolated by immutable grief. He stood silent, still, though many milled beside him. The chipped and cracked walls of the Great Hall surrounded the crowd, a low murmuring underlaid with grief providing a grim atmosphere. Thirteen candles sat unlit upon the Head Table, behind which stood Professor Dumbledore. He cleared his throat and a silence fell immediately upon the waiting people. The man did not notice though, continuing to stare at the candles with bloodshot eyes.

"We gather here to honor the memory of those who were lost to us before their time. As each name is spoken, a candle will be lit in their memory."

Swallowing hard, the man clenched his fists unconsciously.

"Draco Malfoy."

_"Malfoy! This is not the time nor place to play who's better! They're after us!"_

The blond sneered elegantly at the other.

"Oh, now is the perfect time. All I have to do to become an Eater is kill you."

"WHAT?!?!? Oh, shit. Malfoy, I knew you were bad, but you're better than that at least!"

He'd grown pale when Draco had told him what he'd intended to do. But he'd seemed better these past few years, ignoring the trio rather than taunting them, ceasing to glare at them every time Gryffindor won points. And now he was turning Death Eater?

"This is it. Any last words?"

The handsome youth raised his wand, aiming it carefully. As his eyes focused on the wand before him, other noises were heard behind him. Knowing there was only one thing it could be, he ducked his tall frame to the ground and rolled to the side at the same time a spell was shouted behind him.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The spell hit Malfoy right on the chest and he watched with horror as the body hit the floor with a deafening thump.

  
  


"Dean Thomas."

_He stumbled out of the initial blast, tripping over a log. Falling to the ground, his bile rose as he realized that it was not a log, but a body he had tripped over. One of Dean's eyes stared blankly into his own; the other half of his face was gone._

  
  


"Lavender Brown"

  
  


_Lavender shouted at him, but he couldn't make out the words over the din of the battle._

"WHAT?"

She opened her mouth again just as a flash of green light hit her in the back.

"Vincent Crabbe"

  
  


_A leg shot out and tripped him as he raced to escape the deathtrap. Glancing back, he was just in time to see the chunk of ceiling fall directly on a menacing Crabbe._

"Minerva McGonagall"

  
  


_As he careened around a corner, he ran smack into the Professor. They both fell to the floor and were up in the same instant, panting for breath._

"Weasley?"

"Professor?"

"Weasley, I need you to call the Ministry. There's a Teleson fire in my office. Get help!"

With that she dashed back into the fray. It was the last time he'd seen her.

  
  


"Gregory Goyle"

_Skidding on the ground as he turned another corner, he'd almost run right into the lowered pike held by a suit of armor, enchanted to protect the castle. Skewered on it was Goyle. Backing quickly away, he left as soon as he could._

"Neville Longbottom."

  
  


_ He'd happened to meet up with Neville in the corridor and had explained the situation as he ran along behind him. Reaching McGonagall's office, he hurriedly stuck his head into the Teleson fire. A shout behind him distracted him and he looked back to find Neville slumped to the ground, having saved him by blocking the curse. A cold fury filled filled his breast as he looked upon the murderer and the body of his friend._

  
  


"Seamus Finnigan"

  
  


_"Ron! Get over there!"_

The youth pointed to a corner where hastily organized defense seemed to be failing. As he followed orders, his classmate went up in flames.

  
  


"Sirius Black"

_A dog bounded among the Eaters, drops of blood flying from its muzzle as it bit into one throat after another. He looked away for a moment, distracted by a random explosion. When he looked back, the dog was no longer there._

  
  


"Remus Lupin"

  
  


_The Dementor advanced on him as he scrambled desperately back. Up against a wall, he could retreat no further, able only to watch in horror as the creature bent to Kiss him. A flash of gray, and the Dementor hissed in pain and fury. As he scrambled to his feet, it sent the wolf crashing into a nearby wall with a sickening crunch._

  
  


"Parvati Patil"

  
  


_Parvati hadn't lasted past the first surge. She'd been fighting alongside him when she went down, tagged by the Killing Curse._

  
  


"Hermione Granger."

  
  


_Meeting his fiancee in the hall, relief flooded him. He stooped to kiss her, to celebrate the victory- and she slumped in his arms, victim of Avada Kedavra from one of the Eater prisoners. This time, no fury flashed across his eyes, only pure, insurmountable grief. As he slid gently to the ground, her still form in his arms, his voice hoarsely called her name, tears leaving a trail between the blood and dirt on his face._

"Harry Potter"

Ron suddenly gave a choking sob and collapsed to the ground in a puddle of robes. Violent tears racked his body but all he could think of was his loss.

  
  


_"Where's Harry?!?!?"_

His voice had sounded desperate, even to him. No one answered him though, tending to the injured and covering the dead. Wild eyed, he grabbed the robes of the nearest person, who happened to be Madam Pomfrey.

"Where. Is. Harry?"

Glaring at him, she replied, though most likely only so he would let him go.

"He's not here."

A choked gasp escaped him and his menacing stance collapsed. Turning dejectedly away, he slumped against a nearby wall and slid to the floor, head and arms resting on knees. Tears wouldn't come and the absence burned like a knife at the back of his eyes.


	2. A Battle Won and Lost

_Ten Years Later_

"Chang! Get over to the Eastern exit! Defense is faltering over there!"

The Commander didn't watch to see if the Auror was following his orders; he'd worked with her enough to know that she'd do exactly what was needed. Besides, a more pressing matter reared its head as the Eaters surged forward, threatening to overcome Auror defense. A grim smile appeared on his face as the Eaters ignored the black line on the floor. The Commander pointed his wand at it.

_ "Incendio!"_

The gunpowder exploded, creating a wall of fire that not only burned the Eaters in its path, but kept more from charging. Although Muggle gunpowder would have only burned for a moment and created a wall of flame only a foot high, the magical command caused it to react in extraordinary ways.

"Sir! The Eaters are retreating on the Northern side!"

A quick nod told sent the messenger swiftly back to his area. Moments later, the Death Eaters on his side began retreating as well, abandoning the siege on Ministry buildings in exchange for their lives. Those on the near side of the fire wall watched in dismay as their companions abandoned them. They began to panic as the Commander's faction surrounded them. One threw himself through the fire in desperation; he got through, but from his screams was in pobvious pain as he stumbled away. The rest did not take that option and began falling victim to the Full Body Bind.

Satisfied that the situation was now under control the Commander left to check the Eastern gate, where the fighting had been fiercest, last time a messenger had been sent. Quickening his pace as his worry increased, he almost ran into a panicked Cho. She stared at him for a moment with wide eyes then collapsed into him, sobbing hysterically.

"Cho! Cho, what happened?" 

"Oh God, no! No! No...."

Unable to get anything intelligible out of her, the Commander stood her up and addressed her in a command, from captain to sergeant. He'd found that this often worked when the other had no control over their movements, instinct taking over.

"Auror Chang! Report!"

She automatically snapped to attention. 

"Eastern was taken just before their retreat was sounded, Sir."

A chill ran down his spine.

"Nature of defeat?"

"All....All dead, Sir. None left."

Something in him sagged, the collapsed. Outwardly, he kept up appearances so that his own troops would keep up morale, but inwardly, he was hysterical with grief. Giving her a slow nod, Cho stared at him in disbelief. As he strode past her, she grabbed his arm and held him back, looking into his eyes for any sign of grief, all regard for protocol gone.

"Ron! All those people are dead! Padma Patil, one of your few year mates, Fleur Delacour, your friend, Ginny Weasley, your _sister!_ You can't just call them acceptable losses!"

He started as his sister's name was mentioned, turning slowly away. Voice cold as he spoke, he stared at her hand on his arm until she withdrew it.

"Auror Chang, you are dangerously close to overstepping your authority. Don't you remember? No losses are acceptable. Ever. At the same time, I don't have the luxury to rant and rave and cry because my friends and family have died. I went through that ten years ago. I can't do it again."

By the end of his speech, he was speaking not of his position, but of his mentality, and Cho knew it. Snapping to attention once more, she watches him with hungry eyes as he strides away.  
  


_Later That Night_

The red headed man stared stonily at the mug in his hands. It wasn't alcohol as many thought, but Muggle coffee from a place called Starbucks. He'd added a packaged sleep spell without a thought; when he'd graduated from Hogwarts, he would have scoffed at the notion of packaged spells.

_ Fred handed him a small packet. He'd stared at it in bafflement and suspicion._

"What is it?"

George grinned at him.

"It's not a trick for once, though we discovered it while doing research for Zonko's. It's a packaged spell. Pretty much sugar hit with a spell retains most of the properties of the original spell, but rather than an immediate effect, it is delayed and gradual. Take that packet for instance. It contains Stupefyed sugar. However, instead of knocking you out instantly, you'll be able to stay awake for a while and find a place to sleep before it really hits you. You can wake up on your own too. And it's exactly what you need, little brother. You look a bit worse for wear."

Fred nodded and he hadn't protested, knowing he'd foregone sleep in order to plan for future engagements. Furthermore, he suspected they'd already slipped some into his water, from the way his eyes were drooping and his mouth was yawning.

Packaged spells had become common household items and the twins were now extremely wealthy, though not famous for that but for their ingenious tricks. 

For that matter, he himself was famous. Why, he wasn't sure, but everyone told him it was because he had come in and single handedly turned the tide in the war against Voldemort. That had been right after graduation. 

He'd been planning to study under Mr. Ollivander, and maybe become the next Mr. Ollivander (which turned out to be just a title), but the graduation ceremony had changed everything. All he wanted was revenge. So he became an Auror, along with every other member of his year.

Only to discover that the Aurors were too disorganized to do anything. There was no distinction between experienced and inexperienced Aurors. They formed their own little groups, each of which was autonomous. For a war, that would never work.

So Ron had gotten permission from his father, now Minister, to change everything. He'd studied Muggle military factions for a while, then instituted the same structure into the Aurors. The results had been brilliant. On top of his reorganization, he had had an uncanny grasp of tactics, which caused his troops to make him Commander by popular demand. Not that he'd expected, or even wanted the position. It had simply been thrust upon him.

But it made him responsible for each and every person. So when one of them died, he died too, and he had a hard time getting over it. He had no close friends to confide in either, not after Harry and Hermione's death.

His hands clenched tight around the mug as that thought flitted through his head and his throat tightened as he swallowed hard to keep from crying. The man had never gotten over their deaths, and even a decade later, the mere thought of them could make him cry.

Rising from the stool, he made his way back into the wizard world. He slept at Auror headquarters so that anyone could reach him if needed, but that was not expected to occur tonight, not when the battle was so recently won...or lost.

  
  


_The Next Day_

He was waiting for Ron the next morning, patiently sitting in one of the guest chairs that sat across from the Commander's desk. The tall man didn't even glance at him as he sat down in the leather swivel chair, marking down a notes about the previous day's battle on a map of England. If the man wanted to speak to him, he would have to wait a few more moments. That was the way Commander Weasley treated all his appointments. 

Finally, he placed his pen down, looking up at the other person, seeking to lock gazes to let him know that he had the Commander's full attention- 

and met a pair of very familiar eyes

Ron stood up so fast the chair fell over, his wand out and ready, aiming it at the man sitting across the desk Wide eyes stared at him, hand shaking to match the tremor in his usually rock steady voice as he spoke.

"H-Harry?"


	3. Acceptance and Denial

"H-Harry?"

The other man was half way out of his chair, obviously moving to embrace him, but something in the uncharacteristic wild gleam in the Commander's eyes warned him not to. That, and the hand that joined the other on the wand as he advanced caused him to decide to remain where he was.

"Ron....I-I'm so-"

Ron interrupted hastily, his emotions so tangled up inside of him that he was no longer the stoic Commander he had been for almost a decade, but the reckless Ron Weasley he used to be in Hogwarts.

"Are you or are you not Harry Potter?!?"

"Of course its me, Ron."

With this affirmation, the red headed man collapsed into his chair, face as pale as if he had seen a ghost. That was appropriate though, because the Ministry's records read Harry Potter: Deceased. Leaning forward to place his elbows on his desk, he buried his face in his hands, trying to cope with the emotional shock. Shifting restlessly from side to side, Harry made as if to place a comforting hand on the Commander's shoulder.

_"Don't. Touch. Me."_

The cold command of the Auror caused the living dead to recoil, emerald eyes wide in shock. He stared at the man behind the desk, no longer the familiar boy he had left behind, but a stranger who had dealt with far more than he could ever imagine. This was no longer Ron Weasley, but the Commander of the Aurors, whose fame and hardships surpassed even his own.

"Ron, I'm sorry, I couldn't stay, I just _couldn't_. There was nothing left for me, nothing at all."

"Harry, listen to what you're saying! Hermione and I were there, Dumbledore, my family, even Cho Chang! Sirius Black and Remus Lupin _died_ that day, thinking they were helping to protect you. And you...you just vanished..."

Defeated, the accused let out a sigh. It was almost as if he had known he had done wrong, but couldn't bring himself to admit it, not until that moment.

"I know. I know I was stupid and I know I shouldn't have just vanished on you, but the point is, I'm back, and I want to try and help you against Him."

Furious now, the Commander rose again and strode around the desk, gesturing wildly. His mahogany gaze fixed and held the jade orbs of his long-ago friend.

"Harry, you _don't understand!_ You're dead to me, dead to the wizarding world! Do you know what is after your name on the Ministry records? Harry Potter: Deceased. _I went to your goddamn fucking funeral, Harry Potter!_ You're seven feet underground to me!"

By the end of his tirade, the crimson topped male was no longer the stranger Harry had no idea how to deal with, but the same old Ron he remembered, wild with grief and shock. Even as he watched, Ron slumped against a wall and slid to the floor, face buried in his ands, shoulders shaking with sobs.

"She's gone, Harry! Dead! She died that day too. I went to her funeral as well. Do you know how painful that was?! Two funerals, two friends. You were dead, Harry! But they never found your body, I know why now. But she died in my arms, Harry, she died in my arms! And I couldn't save her...."

Hesitantly the other man slid down next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. When no rebuke came, he pulled Ron into a brotherly embrace, crying along with him. For a while, they were no longer the Boy-Who-Lived and the Man-Who-Lost, but Ron and Harry, two friends crying for the missing piece.

  
  


Ron walked through the infirmary, trying to keep the tears from flowing. It was like this every time he walked this way, simply because it reminded him of when he had discovered Harry's demise. _Escape, rather_ his mind told him. There was no reason to cry anymore, no reason for the hospital to trigger any tears. But it still did.

Harry walked beside him, his average frame dwarfed by Ron's near seven foot height. He kept looking around for people he knew, for familiar faces, for one in particular- a shake of his head flung the hope from his head. All his yearmates in Gryffindor were dead except for Ron, and most of all the others too. And she was most assuredly gone for good. There would be no miraculous reappearance of the final member of the trio for Ron, no maybe about her fate. She was dead.

"Commander Weasley, I got the sta-"

The bantam asian femme stopped short, her eyes wide upon her long ago fellow Seeker. A hand rises to cover her mouth while her other hand pointed at the Commander's companion.

"It's Harry Potter!"

The entire wing went silent at Cho Chang's cry, staring at the famous personage. He stared back, astonished at their reaction. Commander Weasley, seeing the silence was beginning to get sinister, opened his mouth to vouch for the man, even though he still didn't know why he had disappeared.

It was then that the fighting began.

  
  
  
  


_(Author's Note: I know, I know, it's been a very long time, but life is hectic for me this time of year. I probably won't get another chapter out until June, but don't worry, I will finish it. It probably won't be very long, 10 to 12 chapters maybe. Maybe longer. I still haven't really worked out the plot, so even I don't know what's going to happen. Anyway, thanks for being patient and I hope you like this chapter.)_


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